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The Nicaraguan government on Thursday opened a direct trade route with China in a bid to expand economic exchanges between the two countries, state media reported.
The announcement was made at the Pacific port of Corinto, about 150 km northwest of Managua, where the Panamanian-flagged merchant ship Sunny Fortune arrived on Wednesday, the first of a three-month period of ships planned to sign a commercial exchange agreement with China.
Laureano Ortega, the presidential adviser in charge of Nicaragua’s relations with China and son of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, hosted the event along with Chinese and Nicaraguan officials and said “this is an extraordinary event” for the Central American country.
“This is a great achievement for our country and we will continue to work so that this is just the beginning of more, more frequent and more actions,” Laureano Ortega was quoted as saying by the El19digital portal.
He added that in addition to launching the route, the Sunshine Fortune also transported machinery and equipment to Punta Verde International Airport north of Managua, which was concessioned by the Nicaraguan government to China’s Huagong Group.
In December 2023, after Ortega spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China and Nicaragua agreed to upgrade their relations to the level of a “strategic partnership.”
Nicaragua and China launched a free trade agreement in January.
In 2021, Managua established relations with China after breaking with Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory and must regain control over, even by force if necessary.
The world’s second-largest economy has since backed Nicaragua’s government, which faces sanctions from the United States and European countries after protests against Ortega in 2018 left more than 300 people dead, according to the United Nations.
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